In accordance with the French Act of 1st July 1901 ruling non-profit organisations, an international association has been formed. Its duration is unlimited and its dissolution may be passed in Extraordinary General Assembly convened for that purpose as provided for in Article 13.

Each financial year begins January 1st and ends December 31st.

This International Association whose official languages are French and English, is named OMPO (hereinafter referred to as):

« Migratory Birds of the Western Palearctic »

European Institute for the Management of Wild Birds and their Habitats

Within the scope of its resources, OMPO - European Institute, undertakes all studies and projects aimed at improving knowledge about Western Palearctic wild birds, their habitats, and their sustainable management across their distribution range in Africa-Eurasia, particularly:

- by creating and leading a European and international network of scientific and technical correspondents within the scope of a "European Institute for the Management of Wild Birds and their Habitats",

- by developing study and research programs on wild birds,

- by collecting and analyzing scientific data and disseminating information about all of its work,

- by making available its expertise to all actors interested in conservation and biodiversity management, including workshops, seminars, training sessions ...

- by cooperating closely with all national and international bodies or conventions pursuing the same targets,

- by engaging partnerships with hunting and scientific organisations, considering that the sustainable use of natural resources that are wild birds and their habitats is an efficient way to contribute to their sustainable conservation in the interest of present and future generations,

The Head Office is registered at 59, rue Ampère - 75017 Paris (France).

The Administrative office is located at 59, rue Ampère - 75017 Paris (France).

One and/or the other offices may be transferred by simple decision of the Board of Directors.

II. FONCTIONNING

Article 4 - Composition

OMPO is composed of three categories of members: full members, institutional members and observer members.

a) Are considered as full members:

1. physical persons and legal entities, that belong to the Association and having paid their annual membership fees,

2. representatives of regional, national, European and international private institutions that founded OMPO or related to the Association through a scientific, technical or financial partnership agreement for the time of their commitment,

3. representatives of regional, national, European and international public institutions, related to the Association by a scientific, technical or financial partnership agreement for the time of their commitment,

4. Honorary Members, appointed by the General Assembly, on proposal of the Board of Directors, on account of services rendered to the Association,

5. Benefactor Members, appointed by the General Assembly, on proposal of the Board of Directors, due to the regular financial support they provide to the Association,

6. the Chairman of the Scientific Council.

b) Are considered as institutional members:

1. Presidents of regional, national, European and international public institutions, with the same focus of interest as the Association or their entitled beneficiary, after acceptance by the Board of Directors.

c) Are considered as observer members:

1. physical persons or legal entities accepted by the General Assembly, on proposal of the Board of Directors.

Article 5 - Loss of membership

Membership is lost after the non-payment of membership fees, the non-observance of the statutory rules, resignation, death, exclusion.

The exclusion of a Member, which is the responsibility of the General Assembly, intervenes in case of serious breach to the Association. In all cases, the Member will have been invited to explain his attitude or his actions to the Board by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt addressed at least eight days in advance.

Article 6 - Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the governing body of OMPO. It elects a Steering Committee comprising:

- members representing national, European and international organisations that finance and fundamentally support the Association and its activities,

- members recognized for their competence and motivation to engage in the actions of the Association,

- the Chairman of the Scientific Council.

Members of the Board of Directors are elected for six years by the General Assembly under the procedure provided for in the Rules of Procedure of the Association and may be renewed by half every three years. They shall serve as volunteers. Outgoing members are eligible for reappointment.

In case of vacancy of one or more positions, the Board of Directors may provide a temporary replacement of absent members, subject to ratification by the next General Assembly. The mandate of the directors thus appointed shall end at the normal expiration of the replaced members mandate.

The Board meets 2 times a year and as often as the Association requires, and is convened by the Steering Committee. The Board of Directors shall call on the Director and, if necessary, any competent person for advise.

The Board can deliberate if at least half of its members are present or represented. A member of the Board of Directors may receive only one mandate.

The Board's role includes in particular:

- To determine the policy and priority objectives of the Association,

- To examine proposals related to work programs, budget and human resources management,

- To seek funding for the proper functioning of the Management, enabling it to fulfil its tasks (international representation, project coordination, circulation of results...) and to finance studies mandated by the General Assembly and approved by the Scientific Council,

- To consider the results of studies as validated by the Scientific Council, ensuring that they are in line with the targets,

- To make these results available to the members and monitor their distribution,

- To prepare draft resolutions,

- To convene the General Assembly and to fix its agenda,

- To establish the rules of procedure of the Association.

The Board of Directors proposes to the General Assembly study and research programs of the Association, upon the advice of the Scientific Council and, under the authority of the Board, instructs the Management to implement the annual program of activities adopted by the General Assembly.

Decisions are taken by the majority of members present or represented. In the event of a tie, the President has the casting vote.

Article 7 - Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is elected by the Board of Directors.

It is composed of:

- The President of the Board of Directors, President of the Association,

- Several Vice-Presidents, including the Chairman of the Scientific Council who is a member of the Steering Committee, the Vice-Presidents assist the President with all of his functions,

- The Secretary General,

- The Treasurer.

The Steering Committee, guarantor of the overall functioning of the Association, shall ensure that the Management implements the decisions taken by the Board of Directors.

At its meetings, the Board may appoint the Director and, if necessary, any comptetent advisory person.

In the event of a tie regarding a decision, the President has the casting vote.

Article 8 –Management

The Management is ensured by a Director appointed for this purpose by the Board of Directors. The Director/Manager may be supported in his functions by technical and administrative staff hired or appointed by the Steering Committee, or agents made available by other regional, national, European and international institutions both private and public.

The Management, under the authority of the Board, implements the decisions of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly, by choosing appropriate means to achieve it. Its primary missions are:

- To manage the Association and follow-up files related to the institutions and partners of the OMPO network,

- To select partners and contractors to undertake the studies,

- To supervise the execution of their work,

- To organize meetings, workshops, seminars ... for the feedback of the results of studies undertaken,

- To ensure the publication and circulation of these results.

Article 9 – Scientific Council

The Scientific Council is composed of about 10 internationally renowned scientists with complementary knowledge covering various fields of study on Western Palearctic wild birds and their habitats in various biogeographical regions of the African-Eurasian distribution range.

The members of the Scientific Council are appointed by the Board for a renewable period of three years. They elect a Chairman for a renewable period of three years.

The Chairman of the Scientific Council has a seat on the Steering Committee and Board of Directors, of which he is one of the Vice-Presidents. He informs the Board of Directors about fields of study and subjects he considers as a priority.

The Scientific Council members act as volunteers and carry out their mandate independently. Nevertheless, upon prior approval by the Board of Directors, the Secretary General or the Treasurer of OMPO, their travel and subsistence expenses actually incurred in connection with the meetings may be reimbursed.

The Scientific Council shall meet at least twice a year, in presence of the President of the Association or his representative and the Director. Depending on the agenda, it may invite qualified persons to its meetings.

The Scientific Council proposes to the Board fields of study and research, validates programs and study protocols to be submitted to the Steering Committee, surveys the execution of the work and controls the quality of results obtained, ensuring their scientific impact. Finally, it examines all the proposals submitted by the Board of Directors.

Article 10 - Resources

OMPO's resources include:

- Income of membership subscriptions of individual members and members representing legal entities (regional, national, European and international associations),

- Voluntary contributions,

- Subsidies from public or private organizations,

- Contributions of any kind from donors interested in the activities of the Association,

- Income from the sale of goods or services resulting from the activities of the Association,

- Property and financial income originating from the management of its assets,

- Any other income in accordance with the prevailing regulation and the object of the Association.

The amount of the basic subscription of individual members and members representing legal entities is fixed annually by the General Assembly on proposal of the Board of Directors.

Article 11 – Ordinary General Assembly

The Ordinary General Assembly is the sovereign body of OMPO. It is convened by the President of the Board of Directors or at the request of a majority of its members at least once a year and according to an agenda fixed by the Board.

The General Assembly is noticed to members at least fifteen days in advance. The notice shall specify the place, date, time and agenda of the Assembly.

The General Assembly deliberates validly if at least half its members are present or represented. Voting by proxy is authorized.

Participants to the General Assembly having voting rights, are: the members up to date with their subscriptions, representatives of institutions related to the Association through a partnership agreement, the institutional members entitled to vote. Observer members are invited to the General Assembly but can not take part in the vote.

Whether they are individual or representatives of a legal entity, members have 1 vote and proxies in the limit of 10.

The General Assembly has competence:

- To proceed to the election of the members of the Board of Directors, proposed by the full and institutional members,

- To elect the President of the Association,

- Approve the minutes of the General Assembly ; the accounts for each accounting period,

- To adopt the annual work program and corresponding budget,

- To fix the amount of the membership fees,

- To decide on:

Equity holding in other legal entities,

Exclusion of members of the Board of Directors

Examining applications and admission of new members,

The exclusion of a member

Assignment of rights.

Article 12 - Rules of Procedure

Rules of procedure are established by the Board of Directors, which shall submit it to the approval of the General Assembly.

It covers all matters relating to the internal functioning of the Association, including the vote in the General Assembly, as well as the responsibilities of members of the Steering Committee. It can be changed at any time, if necessary, by the Board of Directors, upon a relative majority vote of the members present.

Article 13 - Amendment of the statutes; dissolution of the Association; Extraordinary General Assembly

The amendments to statutes of the Association, its possible dissolution is voted by an Extraordinary General Assembly convened for that purpose, following the procedures under Article 12. The votes are at the majority of two thirds of members present or represented.

If the quorum is not reached, a second General Assembly is convened. It will then decide by the majority of members present or represented.

In the event of dissolution, the Extraordinary General Assembly shall appoint one or several liquidators; assets, if any, will be imparted according to the rules determined during the Extraordinary General Assembly.

Statutes adopted in OMPO Extraordinary General Assembly the 14th January 2010

OMPO, European Institute for the Management of Wild Birds and their Habitats which object is the development and dissemination of scientific knowledge on Palearctic birds, determinedly works at the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity. Other structures have similar targets: BirdLife at global scale (and its connections), Wetlands International (for waterbirds mainly). The scientific position of OMPO should be clear and provide added value compared to other institutions.

In recent years, OMPO has forged strong and trustful relationships with many scientific institutions and organisations involved in nature conservation and management, from Russia to West Africa. These links were a key advantage in designing OMPO as a "distributed structure" regionally established with units such as OMPO-Vilnius, partner laboratories and scientists.

Among wild birds, migratory species should be the prime beneficiaries of OMPO's investment because management of these species must be considered at the scale of the migratory flyways. The meaning of "migratory" must be close to the definition adopted by the CMS (Bonn Convention) and AEWA, namely: any population shared by two or more States.

Among all species involved in the migration phenomenon, it is proposed to focus on two categories: endangered species and huntable species.

This choice is justified by two complementary objectives: to participate actively in the fight against the erosion of biodiversity and to perpetuate sustainable hunting, with, as a consequence, the mobilization of all efforts to safeguard the natural environment.

In order to avoid a rather too specific approach, it is also important to develop an ecosystemic approach i.e. the study and conservation of the territories in order to better understand the management of natural or modified environments beyond the narrow prism of an approach that prioritises individual species.

The fact is that, apart from wetlands, which are well characterized, it is difficult to mobilize the interest of social actors in habitat conservation without flagship species as mediators. This is the case in rural areas where the interest of the agrosystems for the conservation of species such as grassland waders, larks and thrushes is not better established than the one for more complex units such as mosaic forests-pastures for the survival of the Woodcock.

If OMPO favours an international approach (regional in the Anglo-Saxon meaning), it goes without saying that this approach is only interesting if it is taken into account in conservation strategies of countries that adopt and adapt laws and regulations, in compliance with international conventions.

Besides the geographical (the Palearctic) and the specific (threatened or hunted birds) scopes, the principles on which are based management recommendations should be clarified.

These principles, derived directly from those set forth by the Ramsar Convention on wise use of wetland resources, by AEWA on sustainable management of bird populations and by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), aim at a fair sharing of resources. OMPO advocates active management of natural resources and, to use a henceforth classic wording, promotes adaptive management, that is to say, based on the understanding the mechanisms that regulate populations. Anticipation is the keystone to such management.

To do so, this scientific approach is conducted at three levels:

First, a basic assessment: what numbers, what trends, where, in what kind of environment, when, are some of the questions to which we must respond. The available data reveal notable shortcomings. This approach requires on the one hand, the development of monitoring networks on flyways and various sites/key areas of the distribution range, on the other hand, more detailed surveys on the species (ringing/marking, satellite tracking, remote sensing...) and their use of habitats. These networks present a double advantage: Besides mobilizing large numbers of volunteers favouring the appropriation and dissemination of knowledge by the practice of citizen’s science (people’s science), they provide a collection of calibrated data facilitating syntheses and hence, integration into nature management.

Second, understanding of the mechanisms ruling the distribution of the species, their occupation of space and their dynamics in order to better understand key factors that govern the conservation status of a population. This level relies on rigorous research protocols and on data collected by these networks. In this regard, different management practices constitute in natura experimentations, the comparison of which leads to scientific questionings.

Third, prediction and modelling to evaluate the effects of management practices or the effects of changes be they local (change in land use) or global (invasive species or climate change, in particular).

These three levels are scientifically increasingly complex but often decreasingly expensive, considering that the combined cost of coordinating monitoring networks and the actual costs of data collection generally exceed statistical data processing costs.

Modelling performed from studies can then be confronted to field observations and permit extrapolation beneficial to the conservation of species and their habitats, particularly in the context of EU Action Plans.

The Institute OMPO will carry out its own field studies, will encourage studies that contribute in its objectives, will develop partnerships and prepare review reports from the analysis of data and literature.